Styling A Kingsville Boxwood

Carl_Bergstrom

Inspired by the Yangzhou school "cloud layer" trees in a wonderful book of Chinese penjing, I decided to start styling the Kingsville box that I posted to the spring show a while back. Here it is this spring:



I decided to turn it around, and make the back into the new front. After a tiny bit of wiring and a fair bit of pruning, here's what I ended up with. It's decidedly not finished yet, but I thought I'd post it here and ask for suggestions before moving on. Any ideas where to go with this one? Or suggestions for what to do differently next time?

Thanks in advance,
Old Mister

Attached Images

first_styling_small.jpg (29.8 KB, 330 views)

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Carl_Bergstrom

Oh...and before anyone beats me too it...

(I only noticed the resemblence once I loaded the photograph onto my computer.)

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bonsaial1

I like the left side. But, I don't get the hole in the foliage. can you open it up and make the apex its own cloud?

bonsaial1

Ahhh... it's really a dogwood.

Carl_Bergstrom

Good one, Al

----

Actually, that hole on the side is a misguided combination of two things. First, me looking down on the tree while styling it and then straight on when taking the picture, and second, me trying make "holes for the birds to fly through" in the words of my old teacher.

Obviously I agree with you that it looks like crap, hence the dog or rabbit or whatever nasty beast that is.

So definitely, I need either (1) regrow the foliage there, (2) bend something into place to plug that hole, or (3) open the tree up further.

Approach (3) seems well in line with my general stylistic goals for the tree. But...and this is a big concern...I don't like pom-pom poodle boxwoods. So I've gotta be hella-careful, as those kids would say, before taking too much foliage off. I was hoping you'd be able to tell me which bits should go!

Here's a quick crack at a virtual, in which I've only snipped (i.e., painted in blue) and not bent or moved or regrown any foliage. I could probably do something pretty close to this tomorrow, if I wanted to. I tried to follow the general stylistic tone set by that first branch and the space above it. Problem is (even for my taste ) this version could do with a bit more trunk showing.

I'll think on it and probably post some other virtual in the near future. In the meantime, I sure would love to hear folks' thoughts. Up to and including "You need a new hobby - ever consider taking up bowling?"

Carl_Bergstrom

The virtual:

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virt1.jpg (26.0 KB, 297 views)

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bonsaial1

I like what you did on the right to fix the hole problem. I just don't know about the snippet out of the left top. It seems to me when I squint I see the apex as one cloud? I will try some virtulage later.

mfp1028

Hey Old Mr. Crow,
I don't know if its me and i am not sure if smaller trees (come to think of it i am not sure what penjing is) are treated differently, but i think that the lowest branch growing on the left inside the curve is making this tree look funny to me. Granted i see that it is a small tree and you don't have too many branches to play with but i think it just looks not right by having that branch inside that curve.
I tried to do a virtual but there is no way it would change anyones mind, meaning it is very bad but Old Mr. Crow you talk about:

"cloud layer" trees in a wonderful book of Chinese penjing.

Could you show us one or two of these examples?

good day
mike

bonsaial1

I think Rip calls them Pocket branches. Personally I like um sometimes. They are a necessary part of bonsai. Sometimes the design will not look as good if you follow the rules to the letter. Sometimes you have to fudge the rules to bring out the artistic values of the material. I like to follow the rules with conifers more closely and let the rules slide a little with the leaf droppers. I think they are just alittle more loose. Wow, I got three "sometimes" in there. Going for the Jose Alberto award.

Bonsaial

oh,,, BTW here is the pierneef style boxwood I am working on. It needs a pruning to thin out the canopy. I will prune on this tomarrow and repost. Sorry last minute foto, little fuzzy

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